Steam or gas turbine.



No. 777,055. PATENTBD DEC. 6, 1904. W. L. BODDENER.

STEAM OR GAS TURBINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.26,1904.

NOMODEL.

I a 3 g m l g.. L, l p h WITNESSES. lNVE/VTOH Ilaiirnn Smarts ZPatented December 6, 1904.

PATENT UFFICE.

WILLIAM L. BODDENER, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO WESTINGHOUSE MACHINE COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM P1! GAS TURBINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,055, dated December 6, 1904.

Application filed April 26, 1904. Serial No. 204,993. (No model.)

T0 to whom, it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM L. BODDENER, a subject of the King of Prussia, German Emperor,and a resident of Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam or Gas Turbines, of which the following is the exact specification.

This invention has reference to steam or gas turbines in which the pressure of the steam or gas, hereinafter referred to as steam, is transferred by stages into a flowing stream of great velocity. Each stage consists of a number of nozzles through which the steam is directed against a row of blades. In turbines of the step-by-step or stage expansion arrangement hitherto constructed experience has shown several disadvantages. In the construction of the reaction type, of which the Parsons 2o turbine is the original form, there is a considerable loss due to leakage around the stationary guide-blades and the moving blades. As it is necessary to have a clearance-space between moving and stationary parts, this leakage cannot be reduced belowacertainlimit. Another most serious loss of energy is found in the multicellular-impulse turbines, where a number of wheels are used. This loss is caused by the friction of the steam on the moving surfaces 3 of the turbine-wheels and is in a great measure unavoidable. In order to do away with these disadvantages, the present multiples'tage turbine is designed.

An arrangement in which my invention is carried into effect is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which--- Figure 1 is a sectional view of the turbine. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation through one stage.

4 The casing of a multicellular steam or gas turbine according to this invention consists of a number of cylindrical pieces 27 28 29 30 31 32. Each one of these cylindrical pieces is provided with transversely and annular arranged walls 11 12 13 1 1 15, that divide the interior of the whole easing into a number of annular chambers 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24: 25, in which steam is taken up. The walls 11 12 13 14: 15 of these chambers are formed in such 5 a manner that ample clearance is left between the walls and the centrally-located spindle 33. Keyed to that spindle are the turbine-wheels 34 35 36 37 Each one of these wheels consists of a disk having a rectangular flange around the circumference, the flange extending on both sides of the disk. Both edges of these flanges are provided with blades 1 2 3 at 5 6 7 8 9 10, so that every turbine-wheel has two rows of blades, one on each side. Each turbine-wheel rotates in a wheel-compartment which is formed by the walls 11 12 13 1 1 15 of the annular steam-chambers. These walls inclose the tiu'bine-wheels all around, leaving an intermediate space of only one inch or less. Exception is made opposite the discharge side 5 of the blades 1 2 3 1 5 6 7 S 9, where the walls are discontinued in order to leave a passage open for the steam to flow into the next chamber. Opposite the other side of the blades-- 7'. 0., their admission side--the walls of the 7 steam-chambers are provided with nozzles 1 2 3 1 5 6 7 8 9 10. These nozzles are situated close to each other, thus forming a continuous ring.

The steam entering the first chamber 16 through the passage 39 is directed by the ring of nozzles 1 against the blades 1. This nozzle-ring 1, being formed in the wall of the chamber 16 is located inside the blade-ring 1 on the wheel 34:. Thus the steam is given a 30 radial direction, impinging upon the ring of blades on its inner circumference. After leaving the ring of blades 1 on its outer circumferencc the steam enters the second steamchamber 17. From here a ring of nozzles 2 8 5 in the wall 11 of the chamber 17 directs the steam against the second ring of blades 2 on the wheel 34:. This nozzle-ring is located around the outer circumference of the bladering 2, so that in this stage the steam also 9 flows radially from the outside to the inside of the blade-ring. Having reached the chamber 18, the steam enters the nozzle-ring 3 and from here flows on through a number of similar stages, as described. until it is delivered by the last blade-ring 10 to the exhaust 26.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that the steam is conducted from one side of the turbine-wheel, around its outer circumference, to the other side of the wheel, in

this way acting twice through two stages of expansion in a radial direction upon that wheel.

By arranging separate steam-chambers and wheel-compartments the result accomplished of the annular steam-chambers, these walls being discontinued opposite the blades on the turbine-wheels. Now when the turbine is in operation there will be an excess of pressure in the different chambers which gives the steam a tendency to enter these discontinuations and to flow through the space between the turbine-wheels and the inclosing walls into the next chambers. As this action would result in a great loss of energy, means must be provided to prevent the steam from leaking through that space.

In every turbine the steam will leave the blades of the wheels with a more or less high velocity which is in a certain relation with the angle of inclination of the nozzles as well as with the inlet or outlet angles of the blades. This has been well considered, and different ways and means have already been tried to utilize the velocity of the outflowing steam. In all devices hitherto constructed for that purpose the steam was compelled to do direct work. Either it has been conducted on asecond wheel or has been taken up by so-called return-buckets which lead it back upon the same wheel. In my turbine the utilization of the velocity of the outflowing steam will be carried into effect in a new manner.

The discontinuations of the wheel-compartment walls which are located opposite the discharge side of the blades are just as wide as is necessary for the free flow of the steam. Furthermore, each ring of blades on its discharge side is extended over the circumference of the adjacent flange, the flange being sloped off on that place, so that a sharp edge is formed along the discharge side of the blades. In a similar way the edges of the discontinued walls are sloped off. By these means the steam, leaving the blades with a certain velocity, creates a suction in the space between turbine-wheels and inclosing walls, which draws the gas (air or steam) from that space along with the steam, thus producing a rarefied condition of the gas in that space. By making the edges of the discontinued walls close to the outflowing steam-jet a considerable difference of pressure can be maintained between two chambers, or, in other words, steam will be prevented from flowing from one chamber through the space between turbine-wheel and inclosing walls into the next chamber. From this it is obvious that the velocity of the outflowing steam in each stage is utilized, first, by preventing leakage and, second, by producing a rarefied condition of "the gas in the wheel-compartments, which reduces the friction on the moving surfaces of the turbine-wheels to a minimum.

Various changes can be made in the details of construction of my turbine without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the structure herein shown and described.

IV hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a steam or gas turbine, the combination of a shaft, turbine-wheels mounted thereon, a casing divided into separate compartments, each compartment containing one of said turbine-wheels, separate steam-chambers being provided between and around each wheel-compartment, and annular openings being formed in the walls of the steam-com partments adjacent the outlet-passages between the blades of the turbine-wheels.

2. In a steam or gas turbine, the combination of a shaft, a plurality of disks mounted on said shaft, each disk having a peripheral flange extending laterally on both sides of the disk, both edges of said flanges being provided with plates, a casing, having a steamchamber around each disk and a steam-chamber between each two adjacent disks, nozzles opening from said chambers to points adjacent the plates of the disks and annular openings extending from'the outlet side of blades on the disks into said chambers.

3. In a steam or gas turbine, the combina tion of a shaft, a casing, curved partitionwalls within the casing, dividing the same into a plurality of inner and outer chambers, transversely-disposed flanges extending from the partitions and forming the inner walls of the outer chambers, disks carried on said shaft and having peripheral flanges arranged to run adjacent to said lateral wall, blades carried by said flanges, nozzles extending from the inner chambers to the inner ends of the blades on one side of said disks, nozzles extending from the outer chambers to the outer ends of the blades on the other sides of said disks, and annular openings extending into both the inner and outer chambers from the exit side of the spaces between the said blades.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM L. BODDENER. [n s] lVitnesses:

H. R. LETZ, O. H. ROSENBAUM. 

